I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to truck cab-bed unit window seals. More particularly, the present invention relates to a light weight seal stretchably and removably fittable between the rear window of the cab of a pick-up truck and the front window of a bed unit such as a camper unit or a bed cap unit.
II. Description of the Relevant Art
In recent years the sales of pick-up trucks, particularly because of competition from overseas and because of a healthy consumer appetite domestically, have increased dramatically. Their presence on the highways for not only use as every day vehicles but also as recreational vehicles can hardly be overlooked. As a concurrent result of this increase in popularity, the production and sales of pick-up truck bed units such as campers or so-called "bed caps" have likewise become remarkable.
Of course, the cab of the pick-up truck is conventionally a sealed unit, that is to say, the rear window of the pick-up truck is conventionally a fixed or a sliding piece of glass. Similarily, the conventionally-provided front facing window of a bed unit such as a camper or cap has also conventionally been of either a fixed or sliding window style. Very often it is desirable for occupants of the cab to communicate with occupants of the camper or truck cap thereby requiring the placement of a tunnel or seal interconnecting the cab and the bed unit. This use is desired not only for communication of occupants in the respective units, but also, for example, for the placement of pets in the bed unit or to provide access of the cab's occupants to goods in the bed unit.
In response to the requirement for such a tunnel structure, a variety of forms of tunnels have been provided. There are two basic forms of such tunnels.
The first of these two basic forms is a boot ring which is placed between the truck cab and the bed unit in a compressed manner. The friction of this boot ring caught between the two units in theory keeps the ring unit in place therebetween. However, what in fact usually happens is that the ring slips out or otherwise moves as a result of movement transmitted from bumps on the roadway or rough roads. In any event, this boot ring has also shown the other disadvantage of not being weather tight.
The second type of seal conventionally seen is one having inflatable ends. The theory behind this seal is that the ends are inflated within, respectively, the cab and the bed unit to thereby create rings on the inside of the cab unit and the inside of the bed unit. The disadvantage with this approach to a seal is that the seal proves bulky and fails to be weather tight. The lack of weatherproofing results from the looseness with which this type of seal is traditionally fitted.
A third means of providing a seal is a permanent boot screwed or otherwise fastened to the inside of the cab and extending through to the inside of the bed unit. However, while improving the weather tight aspects of the boot, this structure is undesirable in that it provides a permanent boot. Very often owners and users of pick-up trucks selectively remove and replace their bed unit as need requires, thereby rendering such permanence highly undesirable.
Accordingly, the prior approaches to solving the problem of providing a tunnel between the cab of a pick-up and the bed unit of a pick-up truck have failed to solve known problems, as prior responses have failed to eliminate the inconvenience and ineffectiveness of known seals or boots.